Secretary Janet Yellen

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell

Dear Secretary Yellen and Chairman Powell:

We write to you, representing our constituents, as an ally of the American Council of the Blind, and all those with visual disabilities. We also are advocating for poor people who are most vulnerable to the ever growing threat of counterfeit money because our currency redesign has been woefully delayed.

Instead of being a lose-lose-lose situation, we can all win with accessible, secure, and socially conscious currency.  The security issues cited to the court suddenly in early 2016 are not credible.  And the ten year time cited as needed for security redesign unacceptable.  You must be concerned that the longer we delay redesign, the more vulnerable we are to counterfeiting. 

The redesign for banknotes announced in April of 2016 must move forward along with meaningful access for the visually impaired and security features within your immediate tenure. Accessibility features will provide another measure of security of our currency. So many other countries have provided meaningful access, it is an embarrassment that we lag so behind and now may even go with an inferior intaglio method whenever the redesigns occur.  

The redesign is a reset too for messaging what our values are.  And can be a way into beginning a healing process for our divided country we all desperately need. We need a complete removal of Andrew Jackson from our banknotes. The reverse of the bill needs to be used for representation of Native Americans, their history, sovereignty & contributions so long overdue. It would be a fitting tribute to the Haudenosaunee principles our democracy was based on and acknowledgement that our nation was created from lands brutally taken from Muskogee, Cherokee, Choctaw, Seminole and all Native Americans.  

We trust in what you have promised in spirit and know that where there is a will there is a way.  If we can strengthen and support our economy for all in the face of the great challenge of Covid, we can make the changes to our currency to keep it in keeping with our values within your current tenure.

Thank you,

Women on 20s

PETITION FOR ACCESSIBLE, SECURE CURRENCY WITH NEW PORTRAITS

We the undersigned want to have our new currency designs including new portraits as announced in 2016, meaningful access to our currency for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and high quality, counterfeit resistant currency by 12/31/24.  The Treasury’s 20+ year delay in providing accessibility for the Blind is unacceptable. We must redesign US currency now. The new currency should include the portraits of Tubman and other suffragists, including at least 10 and not just the 5 previously selected, as well as Frederick Douglass, and the complete removal of Andrew Jackson.  We need this done in this administration. We cannot wait until 2026 and beyond for updated banknotes.  We have the capability, we must awaken the will.